Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. One example routing solution to LLN challenges is a protocol called Routing Protocol for LLNs or “RPL,” which is a distance vector routing protocol that builds a Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG, or simply DAG) in addition to a set of features to bound the control traffic, support local (and slow) repair, etc. The RPL architecture provides a flexible method by which each node performs DODAG discovery, construction, and maintenance.
Existing LLNs often use a channel-hopping link layer. This requirement is driven both by regulatory compliance and providing better spectral efficiency. One challenge with channel-hopping is that the channel conditions can vary greatly depending on the actual channel used to transmit a packet. A number of mechanisms may be used to combat varying channel conditions, including changing data rates, modulation, code rates, transmit power, etc. In general, with all of these mechanisms, higher transmission overhead is incurred when the channel conditions become worse. Transmission overhead may be quantified in terms of the transmission time, channel utilization, interference range, and so forth, required to communicate a packet to the intended receiver.